Lockdown
by loonylovegoodloveshp
Summary: Charlotte was finally strong enough to let it all go. Still, she sits up at night and stares up at the ceiling , wondering if anyone misses her now that she's gone. Charlotte isn't afraid of the demons in her mind, but she's not too sure about the man with the mask. There are some things in life that you can't unsee, and looking into the Joker's soul is one of them. Joker/OC.
1. Hello, Beautiful

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing but my OC. The Joker belongs to DC Comics._

_Chapter One: "Well hello, Beautiful."_

**March 18th.**

Charlotte Marlone looked up at the sky with great disdain. It wasn't the usual temperate day in Gotham City. In fact, the sky looked as if it were about to crack in two. Seeing this didn't help the fact that she was already late to school with a few more blocks to go. Charlotte's parents would never allow her to take public transportation, and the thought of riding a bike in a school skirt was laughable to her. She could barely walk without tripping over things most days. So, the only other option was to walk to the school that her parents claimed was within "walking distance".

_'Pfft'_, Charlotte thought._ 'Walking distance my ass'_.

God must've been particularly irritated that day. The moment she'd finished her thought, a loud crack of lightning shook the sky, startling her. She hadn't even gotten the chance to take another step before heavy droplets of rain began pelting the sidewalk.

"Brilliant!" Charlotte yelled angrily up at the sky, before running into the nearest store. The street she was on was a pretty busy one, so it wasn't hard to find shelter. The bell on the door clanged upon her entrance, alerting the convenience store owner. Charlotte bared him a grim, closed mouth smile before walking into one of the aisles. If she was going to waste time in this store while she waiting for the heathenish rain to stop, she might as well try and grab some breakfast.

After choosing two granola bars from a box on a shelf, she made her way to the cashier, trying not to cringe at the sound of her boots squeaking against the wet tiled floor. The glass case beneath the cashier contained fake jewelry and various other knick knacks that Charlotte stared at while the cashier rung up her small purchase.

"$2.58," The cashier grunted out, and Charlotte handed him the exact amount she had already put together. She placed the money on the counter - she didn't want to touch the cashier's meaty, hairy hand. His fat left wrist had a golden chain linked tightly around it, and it glinted against the glass of the case as he reached to take the cash. His face looked familiar, with a slick black ponytail and a stubbly face, he looked just like any other Italian mobster in this neighborhood. She even bet he had a gun hidden somewhere in the store. Charlotte didn't wait for a bag, she uttered her quick thank you and hurried out.

Charlotte looked both ways on the street before deciding how to make her way to school. She chewed on her breakfast bar thoughtfully as she looked up at the sky. The heavy, pounding rain had stopped and instead was replaced with a light sprinkling of misty rain. Charlotte supposed she could walk through this weather, although it'd be rather unpleasant. Thankfully, she remembered a little shortcut that was tucked away, not far from here. She'd seen a few teens and a few questionable people take it a few times while on her nightly jog. While many of the people she'd seen go into the alleyway looked questionable, it was now close to nine in the morning, and the logical part of her brain reasoned that there couldn't be any criminal activity going on this early in the morning. Without another thought about it, she dipped into the alleyway as soon as she saw it.

Faithful that it would shorten her walk to the school by a few minutes, she strode through the grim alleyway that was just as gray as the street outside. Charlotte still found it to be lucky however, the sparse apartments above sheilded her from the rain. The walk was eerily quiet, which she supposed was unsettling - she'd been ready to deal with seeing a few homeless people here and there, but there was nothing in the alley but her, the only sound accompanying her was her Doc Martens splashing in a few puddles with the sound of rain overhead.

_'What the hell are you doing, stupid?'_ Charlotte thought, scolding herself. _'If you get mobbed or raped it's going to be __**entirely**__ your fault.'_

To make matters worse, she was beginning to get the strange feeling that someone was following her. Charlotte peered out of her peripheral's every so often but when she heard a foot splash that wasn't hers, she began to run.

_'That's it, I'm done for...I guess this is the end'_ Charlotte thought, turning her head to look behind her for a brief second. The water was splashing up to her ankles now, and the beating her back was taking from her bookbag thwacking against her wasn't pleasant, but she couldn't stop running.

It was when Charlotte turned back to look for the exit that her body collided into a hard wall, sending her toppling backwards. Her head collided against the pavement with a harsh crack and she saw stars before her vision blackened.

It must've been less than a minute that she was out, before she heard herself groan in pain.

Actually, the groan was way too deep to be her own. Charlotte's eyes shot open in shock before she squinted. The back of her eyes were sensitive from her fall, everything seemed to have a foggy tint to it.

"Hello, ah, _Beautiful_."

That voice, where had she heard that voice before? Husky wasn't the word to describe it, it reminded her of gravel but was somehow condescending.

Her eyes settled above her for a moment, and as her vision cleared she knew why the voice was familiar. She'd heard it being broadcasted on every television and radio channel for the past six months...

The Joker stared down at her, coal eyes glinting like onyx, the ropey red grin stark against starchy white skin. His green hair hung over his face as he looked down at her, plastered to his skin from the rain.

She remembered hearing about the makeup, or his "warpaint" as she'd heard it being called on the stations. She'd laughed at the thought of a man wearing so much makeup, how did he expect to be threatening? Clearly, it wasn't so humorous now. She wished she couldn've swallowed her words, and perhaps she might not have been in this position. Actually witnessing the mask-like face in person was terrifying, and if she wasn't so shocked she probably would've been screaming.

"You..."

The Joker grinned widely as she stuttered, resembling a demonic cheshire cat. "Well, don't you look surp_rised_," He dragged out the last few syllables against his tongue, his voice lowering an octave. Charlotte didn't need to hear another word, she was up on shaky legs and out of the alley seconds later. She blazed past the buildings, running on pure adrenaline, on fear. She hadn't even realized she was still running until she'd collided with the first row of steps in front of Gotham City High and fell to her knees. Panting for air, Charlotte dragged herself up from her now scraped knees and rushed into the school, into safety. She was more than half an hour late, making her the only student in the hallways. She'd had enough of being alone, but decided that she needed to go freshen herself up in the restroom. Perhaps walking into class late looking like she'd been caught in a tornado wasn't the best idea. Closing the door behind her, Charlotte stared at her frazzled reflection in the mirror. Her light blonde hair had gotten wet along with everything else, and now resembled the color of piss. Her simple eye makeup had smudged underneath and above her lids, and she swiped it away immediately. It reminded her of the Joker's cold, dark gaze.

People were right about him. He truly was a psychopath. Charlotte gripped the edge of the sink a little too hard and she took in lungfuls of air - trying to calm herself. The disbelief she felt was blinding, and each gust of air that entered her throat stung. Had that really just happened? Had she really just witnessed The Joker? In the flesh?

It was too much to think about. It made her brain go numb. It was strange how shock could numb even the most extreme scenarios that clearly required some panic. Charlotte decided that while she was here, she might as well try and make herself look presentable. Quickly wrapping her damp hair in a bun atop her head, Charlotte reached to her side to retrieve her makeup kit from her bag when -

"Oh shit...my bag!"

/

Joker picked up the brown leather rucksack with two of his own leather encased fingers.

_'Stupid girl'_, he thought._'People these days don't even have enough sense to pick up after themselves when running away in fear'_. It actually sort, well, _funny_. The Joker's tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth as he stared off into the direction that the strange girl had ran into. What was some young broad like her doing in these parts anyway? It was strange, how fast she'd been. Almost too fast for him, which was the strangest part. She was _strange_, he could tell. Kinda ballsy too, he reckoned, from the way she'd spoken up even though she'd clearly been frightened enough to wet herself. The Joker smirked.

No one had run away from him without looking back in a _very_ long time. Dropping these thoughts quickly, the Joker brought his attention back to the bag hanging off of his fingers.

A large portion of the bag was wet, which weighed it down as he held it. He didn't even know why he bothered as he pulled out a switchblade and sliced through the smaller pocket of the bag. A few folded pieces of paper and several pencils clattered at his feet, splashing more water on his shoes. Joker clicked his tongue in annoyance. His tongue rolled over the bumpy insides of his cheeks, and he felt his scarred smile rise as he unfolded one of the papers. His dark eyes glued themselves to the name.

_Charlotte_. We're going to have some**_ fun_****.**

**Hello, this is my first Joker/OC story! More chapters are ready and will be published shortly. Leave some lovely reviews? x**


	2. Fireworks

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing but my OC. The Joker belongs to DC Comics._

_Chapter Two: _

_"And, here. We. Go!"_

**April 1st.**

Charlotte didn't find this day funny at all. As a matter of fact, she found that April Fool's Day was nothing but an excuse that people used to act like complete and utter idiots. Well, more than they would usually, anyway.

The last couple of weeks had already been pretty rough. Of course, since her run in with the Joker she had never gotten her bag back, and she'd been having weird sleeping fits since their little meeting. His face appeared everywhere she went! He was constantly on the television (no surprise there), and when she ignored that he caught control of her mind. That bloody red smile wouldn't leave her, and she constantly found herself getting fearfully lost in the image of his coal black eyes. It wasn't like Charlotte had planned on thinking about these things...she just _did_. Another small thing bothered her - she could nearly still feel his coat brush against her arm as she ran away. Just thinking about it made the spot on her arm burn.

Charlotte hadn't dared to tell anyone about her new problem, and just accepted the fact that she would probably never be able this was the best choice she had, it didn't stop her from feeling like she was being eaten from the inside out.

After what seemed forever, the school bell finally rang. Charlotte sighed in relief, quickly going to her locker to pick up a few things. Not only had the day been horrendously long, but now she would have to go home and complete more utterly boring work for classes she didn't even find _necessary_ to her education. Charlotte sighed again, this time out of pure frustration. She was so done with Gotham, with high school, with all of this simple mediocrity. People in Gotham were so bland and obedient. They all stuck together in packs and turned their backs on you if you thought or acted differently from them. To Charlotte, it was as if people in Gotham _enjoyed_ being the same as everyone else!

It wasn't like she didn't have friends here. The people were friendly enough, she supposed. Perhaps if she spoke a little more and didn't seem so "introverted" people would actually be interested in getting to know the new girl. Actually, scratch that. The moment she'd arrived in Gotham a few months prior, everyone had flocked to her and followed her around like little ducklings simply because her father was one of the new District Attorneys. There had been one before that her father had told her about - some poor sod named Harvey Dent that had gone mad and died- and now Gotham had five District Attorneys. Charlotte couldn't help but wonder that maybe if Dent was still alive, they wouldn't have even had to move here in the first place. She'd probably still be in New York right now, getting coffee with friends after school. She missed her old life more than anything. And, she wasn't introverted. People just didn't bother to see that she had an actual interest in things that the pretentious people of Gotham City couldn't give a damn about. `

Charlotte couldn't wait to be out and start fresh again. Maybe after senior year she'd move to Europe and pursue photography as an actual _career_ -

But she didn't finish that thought, in fact she cut it off with a surprised yelp. As soon as her locker clattered open, something large and dark spilled out of it and landed at her feet. Charlotte stepped back, startled.

"What the_ Hell_?" Her eyes narrowed. It was her rucksack! Charlotte stared at it in pure shock for a few moments before leaning down and and picking it up. She tucked two fingers underneath the shoulder strap before pausing. Something was off with it...It was way too light to be hers.

But of course it was hers! How it had gotten here however, Charlotte didn't want to know...but she knew exactly whose doing this was.

Her mind shot to the drastic options first. Was there a bomb in in here? Or maybe some type of grenade? That was that horrible man's idea of fun, wasn't it? Guns, dynamite, and bombs were immediate synonyms when it came to the...Joker. She wanted to retch at his name. Charlotte braced herself by biting her lip hard before yanking the top zipper open harshly. She paled before rage enveloped her. Did he really think this was funny?

Playing cards, hundreds of them littered the inside of her bag. From what she could see, they were all Jokers. Charlotte growled and flipped the bag over, letting the cards cascade onto the cold tiled floor of the hallway. She didn't care who looked, students were starting to make their way out of the school now anyways. Charlotte groaned in frustration, what was this supposed to prove? How had she even gotten herself into this situation!? Oh right, she had to be a damn idiot and take the_ fucking_ shortcut that was reserved for druggies, runaways, and now apparently mass-murdering psychopathic clowns!

Charlotte clenched her eyes shut and let her body go so that she was laying against the cool surface of the metal lockers. No, this wasn't it. It couldn't possibly be this simple, not with him. Charlotte glanced down at long missed bag again, and something caught her eye. The front pocket was slit open across the middle.

_Perhaps..._

Charlotte grabbed the bag and thrust her hand into the crevice before yanking it back sharply seconds later as a searing pain pricked her finger. Pinned to her finger with a thumbtack was a single Ace card. She detatched it slowly, wincing at the small pain in her pointer finger as she did so. A small droplet of blood sat on the surface of her fingertip, and she immediately brought it to her mouth and sucked away the coppery liquid. She hated looking at blood, and especially now. The redness reminded of that damned scarred smile. Charlotte looked down at the Ace card and wanted to scoff at her luck when she saw the messy scrawl done in black ink.

**_Same place, 9 PM._**

Charlotte cursed as she read it for the third time, knowing that she would have to go. Not that she would want to go back into that horrible alley again, but she feared what would happen if she didn't listen. If she didn't show up...oh god, she didn't want to think about it. There was no way him of all people would have compassion for other people's lives...

He hadn't given her an option.

/

She'd had to lie to her parents about going on a nightly jog as she slipped out the door. Charlotte's parents were usually pretty tolerant when it came to staying healthy, and when she'd begged them to just let her go around for a quick thirty minute jog around the neighborhood, they weirdly obliged. Maybe it was because it was a Friday night, and they thought she should go out and at least do something for once. It wasn't their neighborhood that concerned them. Filled with government officials and politicians, Charlotte's neighborhood was extremely safe - well, as safe as you could get in Gotham. Her father had told her early on, no one could never be too safe in this city. The bad guys would do what they wanted to do at anyone's cost. Luckily for her parents, their neighborhood was patrolled by police constantly. Unluckily for Charlotte, she wouldn't be sticking to her neighborhood route. She supposed it helped that she'd been acting strangely all afternoon - the walk home had been excruciatingly nervewracking for her- getting the feeling that someone was secretly watching you in broad daylight was particularly unnerving. When she'd gotten home, Charlotte had run up the stairs after saying hello to her parents and remained there until dinner, where she didn't touch a crumb of food. She'd claimed to be sick, which looking back wasn't a lie. Charlotte could feel her empty stomach bounce up and down repeatedly with each trot of her jog.

With thoughts like these, Charlotte reached her destination quickly and stopped to gain her breath again before hesistantly entering the cavernous alley again. It wasn't wet and grimy this time. The small orange lamplights nearly burned her already heated skin and she watched for a moment as flies circled the lights hastily. They were going right into the trap, as she was about to do. Charlotte couldn't believe how stupid she was. The clown would probably kill her or kidnap her, and either way she'd be fucked. Charlotte's heart twinged, wishing she had really dragged out a goodbye to her parents. But, at least this way they wouldn't get involved. There were so many shady areas of the long alleyway that she couldn't see, and as she stepped forward, something scurried over her foot. Charlotte let out a blood curdling scream that was silenced just as soon as it began.

"Ah, so_ glad_ you could make it!" A dark voice said, sounding gleefully sarcastic. Charlotte struggled against the warm leathery hand that was clamped against her mouth. Her body wriggled in panic, but it only brought the hard body behind her closer.

"Ah, ah, ah, stop struggling," The Joker warned lowly, his voice turning into a low hush. It would've been oddly calming if Charlotte hadn't been terrified for her life. Her body went limp at his command, but she didn't stop trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes, and as the clown turned her around she prayed he couldn't see them in the harsh orange lighting.

"There we go, Doll. _That's_ it." Joker said, smiling into her face. He liked the amount of fear in her eyes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and Christ, if he had to choose his favored look of fear then that would be it. Charlotte did her best to stay silent as his face came closer. The Joker was analyzing her. They stayed that way for what seemed like ages, his gloved hand covering her mouth, their noses inches apart. When he was satisfied, the Joker spoke again.

"Now," He said, lightening the pressure on her mouth but not moving his hand, "I really trust that you won't scurry away like a little rat. Don't disappoin_t_." He growled his last words as he released Charlotte's mouth from his grip. Joker smiled grimly, she couldn't even handle a sewer rat crawling over her foot in the dark, he wondered how she wasn't pissing herself in his presence. She was interesting looking. Pretty tall for a girl, with long slender legs and arms. He was able to scan everything about her in less than a minute, from the light blonde hair tied back in a messy ponytail, to her outfit - she'd jogged here.

Charlotte felt her cheeks redden as she watched him scan her body in one quick yet lingering glance. She hadn't chosen the best outfit - her usual leggings and running jacket did nothing to shield every shape and line of her body. Joker noticed and chuckled, only making it worse. He watched as her blue eyes turned stormy with shame or whatever other emotion she was trying to hide. Joker smirked inwardly. He knew he hadn't wasted his time. There was something there, hidden in those eyes. Something she was capable of. He could use her, and he would find his way into doing so. Truth is, she had bothered him ever since her body had been splayed against the wet concrete. There had been something _off_ about the look in her eyes, and how fast she had darted off. Like a deer caught in the headlights.

Words went unsaid for a long moment as Joker thought about all of this, so he was terribly amused when she spoke up. Her mouth was free now after all, she might as well use it.

"Are you...Are you going to...kill me?" Charlotte's voice faltered. The Joker noted that she had a strong voice, not too feminine but certainly not manly. Still delica_t_e. She seemed to be searching his eyes individually. Well, she was trying to. Charlotte wanted so badly to squint against the light and make out his eyes against the kohl around them. Perhaps it was better this way. If she couldn't see his eyes, he wouldn't seem as real.

The Joker paused briefly, licking his cherry colored lips as a gutteral chuckled erupted from his chest. Charlotte flinched regrettably at the sound...he was just so...demonlike. Seeing her reaction only seemed to make the laugh stronger.

"_Oho_. Ohoho. Aha, aha, ahehe - AHAHAH HA _HA HA_** HA**!" The laughing increased, rising and lowering in pitch and intensity until Joker erupted into peals of deep laughter. Charlotte turned her fingers into fists behind her back, her nails digging harshly into her palms. She got the feeling she really shouldn't have said that. The Joker clutched his stomach through his waistcoat before brushing away at fake tears. The giggles subsided slightly as he responded.

"Oh _you_. Kill you? Why would I ever do that? _No_. No, no, no, no _no_!" Joker smirked slowly, waiting for her reaction. "I wouldn't be able to do that, _Char_."

An alarm went off in Charlotte's head as he dragged out her nickname. No one had ever called her that except her family and close friends. How on earth did the Joker know about that name?! He had searched her bag, yes, but there was nothing in there that suggested to that nickname, and it couldn't have been on a whim or by coincidence. Nothing was ever coincidental with the Joker! Was it?

"How did you -" Charlotte stuttered before the older man cut her off.

"Ah ta ta , let's not chat too long, shall we? I have some things for you..." Joker grinned, before turning and plopping Charlotte's books into her quickly reacting arms. He had acted so quickly that Charlotte had no idea where he had even gotten her missing books from. She stared down at her books in shock. He'd made her meet him late at night for _this_? At this point, Charlotte didn't even need her books anymore - she didn't know what he had done to them, and she really didn't trust anything he gave her. Joker's distorted smile was replaced with threatening look as soon as he saw her reaction. His hand itched to grab her neck and squeeze until her bones popped and her eyes burst.

"Let's, ah, not forget our manners, Char." Joker growled threateningly, his mood changing instantly. Her look of fear had changed, there wasn't a trace of awe or shock, she only looked simply horrified now. And that just wouldn't do...

"Thank you," Charlotte stammered, gripping the pile of books tighter. They were beginning to slip from her sweaty palms. Joker glanced over her expression once more and clicked his tongue before looking up at the sparse, deserted looking apartments above them. He didn't have time to spend with this stupid girl, he'd seen what he wanted to see and that was that. He didn't have time to waste watching her stammer and stutter over herself, no matter how amusing it was.

Joker kept his glance upwards. "You've got about ten seconds to run, Beautiful. Unless you'd like to stay and watch the, uh,_ fireworks_." He tongued the inside of his cheek before glancing quickly at her in passing.

Charlotte's heart quickened as panic settled in. "What -"

A thundering explosion was heard from farther up the alley, and Charlotte watched in frozen fear as smoke began to billow up from the buildings. The Joker was gone, and Charlotte began to run as she heard the frightening combination of police sirens and forceful explosions. She dropped a notebook on the way out, but she didn't dare go back. Charlotte ran farther down the street and crossed it before even daring to turn around. The sight was ghastly, copcars were blazing down the streets and pedestrians were running to and fro. She panted harshly before coughing up a fit. She leaned against a building before turning and vomiting from the acrid smell of the smoke alone. She allowed herself two more heavy breaths before running again. She had to get home _now_, Charlotte had never felt so unsafe in her life.

The orange glow of the streetlights blinded her as she ran, and high up on a building above all the chaos, the Joker smiled.

**Confused? No worries, just keep reading and reviewing! I've got a lot in store for this story, believe me. And for those of you thinking that this will be your typical Joker/OC love story, well...you couldn't be more wrong! Read and review! x**


	3. Whatever Doesn't Kill You

**__****Disclaimer:**_I own nothing but my OC. __The Joker belongs to DC Comics._

_Chapter Three:_

_"Whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger."_

**April 13th.**

She still couldn't believe that it had happened.

Charlotte had managed to make it out of alive of her meetings with the Joker, not once, but_ twice_.

She supposed she had some type of luck or something. Some type of weird luck where bad things and goods things happened to her simultaneously. It wasn't that Charlotte wasn't thankful - she was entirely - but she couldn't accept or believe any of this had actually happened to her. She was just a normal eighteen year old high school senior, where in the hell did that involve the Joker? She hadn't told anyone of course - and she never would. Charlotte would carry her encounters with the Joker to the grave.

Although the memories were still fresh, Charlotte was just glad it was over. She would move on with her life, and with time, forget that any of this had ever happened. The disturbing image of the Joker's makeup covered face so close to hers would slowly fade from her mind, and eventually from everyone elses. It couldn't be long until Gotham's PD caught the crazy clown, he'd dodged them enough for the past six months. Charlotte supposed it would work one of either ways; the people would become tired of the Joker, or he would become tired of the people. And in her opinion, she firmly believed it would be the former.

After all, every villain had their rise and fall.

Or so she'd thought.

/

**April 11th.**

"_WHERE IS IT?!_" The Batman roared, hovering over the Joker's crumpled form.

Little did Batsy know, Joker was enjoying this immensely. Surely, Batman knew the "man" in front of him could be severely masochistic, but there was something that he did not know. There was no source that led to it, and the only way he could ever know was if the Bat delved deep into the Joker's mind. And he was just as intimidated by that idea as any other normal person would be.

"Where's what, Batsy?" The Joker grinned gleefully, exposing a mouth filled with blood. He didn't bother to spit it out, he didn't want to miss a minute of the Bat's nervous breakdown, which he was just so achingly close to achieving. The blood spewed as he talked, melting into the red makeup on his scars and giving the white on his chin a pinkish tinge.

The Joker's love for anger and pain rivaled ceaselessly, although to him they were two of the same kind. And that was what Batman would never find out...that if Joker could sit and watch his anger boil over into tens of millions of breakdowns, he wouldn't even bother with this two-bit city. The Joker loved mental breakdowns more than anything in this world - the pleasure he felt from watching a person break apart at the seams was more gratifying than burning any building or threatening Gotham's Elite. The joke was on _them_ - while they_ cowered_ in fear and _screamed_ as people burned alive in their precious multimillion dollar buildings, the Joker was free to watch as many people break down as he wanted. That's what he wanted to do to Gotham, cause chaos of the mind...and while he was at it, the establishments. Thinking about this made his blood hotter, and his ripped grin expanded even more to Batman's anger. He was immediately hauled up by the lapels of his purple jacket, his neck cracking as his head tilted back drastically. The Joker gazed up at the man in the cowl, the man that thought himself powerful because of his handy gadgets and other bullshit techniques that he used to "protect" Gotham.

"Ah ah, now Batsy, I've just had this dry cleaned," Joker chuckled gruffly, blood bubbling out of the corners of his mouth, elongating his scars.

"Well, it's gonna be past the point of repair when I'm done with you!" Batman growled in that _fucking annoying_ fake vigilante voice he used. Joker could practically hear the man's vocal chords _begging_ for relief.

"Well, then we're gonna be here for a while. The fabric's pretty durable," Joker grinned, before seeing stars. Batman had knocked his head against the brick wall behind them. The world blurred before it spun, or maybe he was the one spinning. Joker didn't really know, but the high he felt was nearly orgasmic. Joker let out a groan as the Bat released another heavy punch against his smarting jaw. The groan slowly turned into a moan that developed into a peverted laugh. Batman's eyes squinted through his cowl at the leaner man before dropping the Joker. Batman's thin lips curled in disgust.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Where's the detonator, clown!?" The Bat growled, causing the Joker to shriek with laughter. The clown held his abdomen tightly as he laughed, wincing a little at the broken rib he was sure he had just recieved.

"Oh, you have no idea!" Joker exclaimed giggling, picking himself off the floor. He spat a glob of blood onto the already wet pavement. Gotham had been particularly rainy lately, and it irritated him...it made his face paint melt off faster. The Joker shot a bloody, devilish smirk at the vigilante before whispering, "Hey Batsy, wanna hear a joke?"

Batman only growled in response. He wanted to choke the clown so hard that he'd never be able to laugh again. The Joker only smiled, almost sweetly. "This was all just for fun! There isn't any detonator, since ah, no places are set to blow tonight. I, uh, only wanted to have a little rendezvous with _you_! See, I knew that you'd assume something was , _uh_, _wrong_ the moment I mentioned a detonator...those really seem to get you, don't they? When are you going to get it? It's all just one big joke! HA! HAHA -"

The Joker hadn't finished, he'd intended to guilt the Bat into coming over to this playdate instead of saving some damsels in distress or going to cry over that broad Rachel...or was it Rose? But before he could utter another laugh, Batman gave him a punch that sent him flying backwards onto the pavement. The Joker wouldn't get up again, his eyes were starting to dull. No, he would lie there in the buzz of dizziness until he faded away. Maybe he would die - he was sure he had some internal bleeding - he wondered what _that_ would be like. Batman's large shadow hovered over him, blocking the glow of the streetlights.

"I won't be so keen to stop myself next time, clown." He growled. Before Joker could respond, he was gone. The clown had never understood why the man did that.

A small thought crossed over Joker's mind as he finally started to slip away. He thought of Charlotte's fearful gaze while he laughed, and without another thought or groan, he was lost in darkness.

**Read/Review please! The chapters are only getting darker from here on out! Also, I am aware that the dates can seem like they are backwards, but it's on purpose. The timing in the story is important ;)! x**


	4. Impact

**__****Disclaimer:**_I own nothing but my OC. The Joker belongs to DC Comics._

_Chapter Four: _

_"Do you wanna know, why I use a knife?"_

**April 15th.**

_'One more class...just one more, bloody, miserable, pointless class, and then you can get the hell out of here!'_ Charlotte motivated herself. She tapped her pencil against the ridge of her desk, the sound calmed her and kept her distracted. She didn't care about math, especially Calculus. What was the point? She thought. She was never going to use it anyways. Charlotte rested her elbow on her closed math book, waiting for Mrs. Berns to start the lesson. Charlotte was trying out this new thing, a form of brief therapy she'd read about. She couldn't remember where she'd read it, or what it was called, but certain psychiatrists suggested that if you kept items that were associated with negative memories close to you, eventually you would adjust and not dawdle on the memory as much. Which was why she kept her books - the same ones that the Joker had put his _grimy_ hands on - close to her at all times. Because of this, Charlotte forced herself to drag all of her books, even the unnecessary ones, to all of her classes. She hoped this method would work, and that she wasn't making all of this up.

As if to prove a point, her shoe accidently nudged the stack of books beside her bag and caused her English book to plop open. Charlotte gazed down at it before her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she cursed as quietly as she could. Lying among the pages as if it had come with the book was a small Joker card, just like the hundreds of others that had clogged her bag a few weeks ago. Charlotte didn't pick it up, she didn't want to touch it. Instead, she forcefully kicked the book closed and forced herself to stare rigidly at the clock as a chill crawled up her spine.

/

The Joker couldn't stop thinking about those eyes. Those dark brown...or maybe they were blue? _Ah_. Yes, that sounded_ muuuch_ better. It suited her, what with the blonde hair and all of those porcelain doll features.

But she was a dumb broad, and Joker hated that. At least, she acted like one. It wasn't like he would've spent any time even_ thinking_ about her if she was actually dumb or stupid. For him, it was easy to sort out idiots...And she wasn't one of them. Perhaps foolish was a better word to describe her. Whatever Charlotte was, Joker knew the moment he'd laid his eyes on her that she was something else. And he was going to figure out exactly _what_.

The Joker propped his feet onto the desk in front of him. He had to admit it, he'd chosen a very nice place to inhabit for now. He'd just acquired it, in fact, a mere twenty minutes ago, and everything already felt quite homey...

The Joker peered over the side of the desk, a weird combination of a grimace and a grin coming to his face as he observed Gambol's body lying lifelessly at the edge of the desk, blood pooling freshly out of his throat. Yes, the place was _quite_ recently acquired. The Joker giggled to himself and kicked the plastic body bag off of the desk with the tip of his shoe. He wondered if Gambol had that five hundred thousand dollars that he'd promised his men just lying around...Perhaps it was in his pocket. The Joker would check later, he was too comfortable. And if he didn't have it on him, he'd just relieve Gambol's bank account of it and much more in a few hours.

The Joker tilted his head back against the soft cushion of the chair and thought of the doll again. The broad was like a headache that never quite seemed to go away completely, not since he'd seen her in the now demolished alley. He closed his eyes, thinking of that wonderfully delicious look of fear she possessed as she'd run her wide eyes over his scars. She was dumb to think he hadn't noticed, but the Joker would take care of that easily. He would peel off her layers until what was truly within surfaced. He would peel her eyes until he saw their _core_. That dark, hungry look hidden deep within. Oh _yes_, lovely Charlotte was just _waiting_ to be maliciously picked apart. The Joker reminded himself to take it slow - he didn't want to spoil his fun by rushing through it! _No, no, no_, rushing only made more room for mistakes. He would analyze her in tiny individual peices before trying anything. That way, he'd know what he was working with from the beginning till the...ah, _end_. More specifically, her end.

The Joker smiled grimly, his scars burning from the stretch. He'd take the delicate little flower that she was and turn it into...Well, he'd just have to surprise himself.

**May 10th.**

Charlotte scolded herself, biting down on her lip in punishment. Maybe her mom had been right. Maybe she should have come home for dinner instead of staying out later to snap a few photos. It was getting really late, and the sun seemed to be hurrying to go down a lot faster than usual. But Charlotte's annoying 'inner artist' couldn't allow such an opportunity to be missed, could she? _God_, that sounded ridiculous, even to her! She definitely wouldn't be using _that_ excuse on her parents. The lighting had just been too pretty, the buildings in Gotham seemed to align themselves perfectly against the sunset, _blah, blah **blah.**_

Charlotte sighed, clicking the power button on her camera. She'd wandered through countless neighborhoods after school was over, and the least she could do was make herself one percent less bored on this uneventful walk home by looking through her shots.

It was almost as if she'd mentioned the word 'uneventful' too quickly.

"Damn it." Charlotte hissed, turning off her camera. She really needed to choose her route home more quickly...or maybe invest in a vespa. Rumbling up the empty street towards her was a black van. The fact that the windows were hellishly tinted to match the pitch black body paint didn't comfort her at all. And the fact that it was coming to a stop in front of her? Charlotte couldn't even manage to explain to herself how she'd kept in her bowel movements up to this point.

The back door slid open smoothly, Charlotte's reflection disappearing with it. She'd been looking at it while chanting to herself, _'Do. Not. Run. Do. Not. **Run.**'_

She really wished she hadn't taken her own advice, as right as it had been.

The face that greeted her was terrifying, but it wasn't surprising. The Joker stared up the length of her body before smirking grimly. "Get in, Beautiful," He stated simply, before shifting one side of his purple coat, revealing the silver revolver nestled in his belt loop. "And ah, spare the thought of runn_ing_."

Charlotte took his advice and stepped closer before entering the cavernous van as he moved to let her in. If she tried to run, she wouldn't make it halfway up the street. Charlotte didn't have a doubt in her mind. If she tried running, the Joker would shoot without even blinking. She just hoped that the inquisitive man wouldn't notice her knees trembling so hard that the skin practically vibrated against the bone. But at the smirk he gave her, Charlotte knew he'd already analyzed every bit of her nervous being.

Inside, and out.

The Joker's dark eyes regarded her smoothly. Charlotte looked away shakily, staring at the pattern of her skirt. She hated that she was wearing one, her seat was against the window, and she knew that if he wanted, the Joker could see any part of her he wanted from his angle, no matter how tightly she clamped her legs shut. Charlotte fought the urge to cringe at the sound of the villain licking his ruined lips.

"Cat got your tongue, Doll? Or maybe I should say Bat, since you're oh so _obviously_ wishing he was here to _save_ you." The Joker sneered, cherry lips curling. Of course he'd be able to read her mind, Charlotte groaned inwardly. Was there anything this scumbag couldn't do? She figured the quicker she opened her mouth, the closer she'd be to coming out of this alive. The man didn't look like he was too fond of patience.

"Please...I don't know what you want. I...I don't have any money on me, and I - I don't have anything to give you - " Charlotte was startled out of her wits when the Joker let out a shriek of laughter.

"Is that what you think this is, Doll? A hold u_p_? Ha! Kid, you've got jokes. You obviously don't watch much news..." The Joker chuckled before growling, "Otherwise you'd know I prefer banks, and uh...larger establishments. It'd be a wrong time to rob you anyways...You don't have any lunch money left, do ya, Girlie?"

It really unsettled her the way his voice could change so drastically. It was unnerving, the pitches he could reach. One minute high and nasal, the next minute, practically demonic and utterly terrifying. The scariest part was, Charlotte was quickly beginning to think that it really _wasn't_ an act.

Charlotte's cheeks flushed hotly, only satisfying the Joker more. Charlotte decided another tactic could work. If he liked her "jokes" so much, there was more where that came from. Charlotte sat up straighter, defiance striking her eyes. She tried her best not to seem weak. "Actually, I've seen quite alot of you on T.V. recently...A little tip? the clown masks are starting to give it away." Charlotte said, nodding over to where two henchmen sat in the middle of the large car. "Wouldn't want anyone thinking you're running a small circus, right?"

Deep laughter spilled out of the Joker's bloody lips, and Charlotte watched hesitantly as he gripped his sides with his gloved hands, eyes clenched closed with laughter. The gruffness of the noise made her skin prickle. Once the Joker recovered, he only scooted closer to her. Charlotte shifted her shoes, wanting to move farther away more than anything.

"That's a good one, Beautiful. And you know what? I've got an even better one," Joker exclaimed. In a second he was out his seat and practically in hers, hovering over her slightly. Charlotte's head hit the glass of the window as she flinched from shock. She stared up at his hunched form as his hands gripped the car seat on either side of her head. His head was dangerously close to the ceiling of the large car as he stared lowly at her, eyes glinting maliciously beneath the painted brows. "Wanna hear a _joke_? Your incredibly false front of bravery. That makes me laugh harder than anything. You see, uh Doll, you're just like every other pitiful citizen here in Gotham. _Constantly_ trying to cover up fear with a fake little mask...When are you all going to realize it isn't wor_king_?"

The Joker's tongue traveled along his inner cheeks as he stared down at her. He hadn't achieved that little look of fear he liked so much yet, and he didn't know if that bothered him or not. On the one hand, it irritated him that she didn't practically scream and beg from simply one look, but on the other, it gave him more of a challenge. It was refreshing. Although, he trusted his blade to do it's job...and it did. The moment he pulled the little sucker out, she emitted the smallest little stammering noise. The noise lit his senses on fire, and for a moment he forgot where he was - he forgot about the three other people in the van besides them, he forgot about the tires moving slowly beneath the van...

The Joker wanted to slice Char more than anything, and he would've started to if she hadn't looked away.

"Look at me," The Joker gripped her cheeks with his free hand, not finished. "I mean it's just so, ah, frustrating! You people are all the same!"

The Joker ran his blade across the sharp curve of her cheekbone, wanting to carve a line under it so badly it hurt. He could feel every breath she exhaled hit his exposed wrist, and suddenly he didn't want to feel it anymore. The Joker willed himself to stay in tune, to not choke her or do something drastic.

Well, he was torturing a high school girl in the back of a van for pure fun and analyzation, so maybe_ not drastic_ wasn't his thing...

"So, why bother not killing me?" Charlotte's voice trembled, "If I'm like everyone else?"

Charlotte's eyes peered up at Joker's darker ones timidly, scared to move and end up with a slashed up face. Tears clung to her eyelashes. One ran over the leather of the Joker's glove, traveling onto his wrist and vanishing under his cuff. "Because you're _not_." The Joker replied, head shaking slightly. He seemed to be very far away, too preoccupied with the beautiful way the light reflected off of his knife and onto Charlotte's cheek.

"But you just said - "

"I _said_. You're n_ot_. Like...everyone._ Else_."

There was a long moment of silence as the Joker stared at Charlotte petulantly. The urge to choke her and watch her gurgle to death on her own blood sounded lovely. Besides, how many times did he have to tell her...

"And ah, for the last time...I'm no**_t_** going to kill you."

Charlotte stared up at him, looking straight into the dark abyss of his eyes. She was trying to find even the tiniest amount of compassion within him, when he clearly had none. There was nothing left to do but beg, no matter how much her pride burned at the idea.

"Please..._please_...I just want to go home."

The Joker stared down at her, studying her intently before licking the inside of his cheeks some more. He let more silence linger before shrugging spontaneously. "Okay!" He exclaimed randomly, giggling disturbingly before gesturing for the driver to stop. Charlotte screeched loudly as he grabbed her by her arms and hoisted her over his shoulder. Her head banged harshly against the roof as he roughly slid the door open. Seconds later, Charlotte's hands and knees met the rough pavement of the sidewalk as she was thrown unceremoniously from the van, her bag plopping beside her. She stood up on quick but shaky legs, staring incredulously at the Joker as he peered out from behind the dark door.

"Well, Doll, I hope you've enjoyed this meeting as much as I have. I trust you can find your way home from here - it _is_ where I picked you up after all. It's a little _dark_, but, ah, you've shown yourself to be _quite_ the trooper." The Joker grinned dangerously. "Oh! And you forgot this!" He tossed Charlotte her camera before starting to giggle again. "Watch out for serial killers! Or better yet, any Arkham escapees! Everyone in this town is a bit...**_mad_**."

The statement was almost too much for the Joker, and he laughed harder before shutting the door closed. Charlotte stared in shock as the van sped off, stealing her reflection with it once more.

/

The Joker didn't look back as Charlotte's figure drifted farther and farther away. He was busy, reliving his favorite look of fear that had finally made an appearance after he'd kicked her out of the van. The way she'd stood there, just completely and utterly _helpless_ yet so _angry_ and _horrified_ did things to his body that pleased him so much he couldn't even explain it. It almost felt like his blood was burning.

"Seen you soon, Char." The Joker muttered, humming to himself as he thought of just how terrified she would be walking home...or when she realized he now had her _cell phone_. He ran over the buttons with leather-clad fingers. Oh yes...it had only just begun. And there was still so much **_fun_** to be had.

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews you've all leaving, keep them coming! They're really inspiring.**


	5. Principium

******__****Disclaimer: **_I own nothing but my OC. The Joker belongs to DC Comics._

_Chapter Five._

* * *

_"You just couldn't let me go, could you?"_

**May 12th.**

Charlotte couldn't believe this. She really, honestly, truly couldn't believe it!The sandwich that she'd been having for lunch fell from her limp hands as a familiar black van drove slowly past her school. _The_ black van. The other students that sat on the front steps paid it no attention - they were too busy enjoying their lunch. Charlotte tried to not instantly jump up from her spot on the steps, she knew it would only make things worse. It wasn't like she could move anyways, she was frozen with fear! Was he really going to confront her in front of the entire school? Charlotte's stomach churned dangerously. Christ, she'd been _so stupid_. Maybe if she hadn't talked back to him in the van two days previously, this wouldn't happening. She wouldn't put it past him to come striding out of the van and onto the premises, guns ablazing. Charlotte immediately imagined the chaos that would ensue, the lives that would be lost. It would turn into a Columbine! The wheels dragged slowly as the van drove past her and rolled up the street.

Charlotte took a staggering breath, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She made a mental note to never make him angry again - it was inevitable that they would meet again if she was being honest with herself. She knew that he wouldn't let go that easily. Charlotte didn't know what the Joker wanted from her, but she did know that she had less than a fifty percent survival rate. That, and that her cell phone was gone. Walking home through Gotham City during the night without a cell phone had made her feel pretty damn brave.

What she didn't know, however, was that this weird routine would continue for a week and three days, and that no matter what she did - come outside, coop up in the girls bathroom, or go home early...She wouldn't be able to get away from the Joker.

**May 22nd.**

Charlotte loved Saturday's more than anything, especially in her neighborhood. It was usually pretty quiet, sans the occasional party that would happen up or down the street in one of the large family homes just like her own. In reality, it was pretty _boring_. But to Charlotte, that translated into quiet, peacefully empty streets that gave her the freedom to jog without getting run over by a car.

Charlotte's music thumped in her ears as she trotted along, her body running automatically to the beat. She didn't know what was playing - she'd set her ipod on the pandora station. She hummed along to the harmonies, amusing herself by trying figure out the notes as she ran. It dawned on her that she should turn back soon, she was bordering the end of her neighborhood, the end of complete and utter safety and serenity...

"What a lovely, lovely voice!"

_Too late._

Charlotte whirled around so fast she lost her footing. In an instant she was sprawled on the ground, her arse and spine aching from the impact. The Joker peered down at her, hands tucked neatly into his purple coat. The red ropes that were his mouth lines tilted upwards, kohl eyes glinting.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this." The Joker chuckled, stepping over the the girl's long, slender legs. Charlotte cursed herself for wearing such tiny running shorts as she rolled onto her side, cheek resting on the rocky pavement. Charlotte groaned. She had to be dreaming...This couldn't be happening. Not again!

Well, it wasn't like it was surprising. In fact, now the meetings were just mildly annoying while still unbearably terrifying.

Charlotte didn't move from her spot on the ground. She was too frustrated, too baffled to move. She was being terrorized by an asshole wearing _fucking clown makeup_ for no goddamn apparent reason...and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She wished that she could say all of these things to his face, but she liked the way her neck was attached to the rest of her body.

A light nudge to the small of her back made her flinch weakly. Charlotte stifled a frustrated cry as she heard the Joker's annoying, comical giggle.

"Now, ah...I know I'm a _pretty_ intimidating guy...but I didn't know my looks could actually kill!" The bastard giggled some more, making Charlotte's skin crawl. There was nothing _fucking_ funny, and she didn't understand his need to laugh at everything under the sun. The sight of a dying puppy would probably make the psycho keel over with _hilarity!_ She heard the Joker growl impatiently when she still didn't move. The tip of his shoe nudged the spot between her shoulderblades harshly. Charlotte heard the swift shift of a switchblade being brought up.

"_Girlie..._"

Charlotte stood up as fast as she could, keeping in her groans of pain as her muscles protested. She hated that damn sing-song voice he was using, it was one of the creepiest she's heard from him so far. The Joker could see her eyes burning indignantly, that fall had looked pretty painful. He scanned her quickly, as he always did. The Joker could read her mind perfectly this time, she was caught between the decision of running away or staying put. She was also _incredibly_ irritated, which made him smile a little. When she didn't budge, he put the knife back in his pocket. The Joker kept his hand on it though. Char was being a good girl _this_ time, but he was never too sure with this broad. The Joker made a mental note to slash through her throat if she tried screaming for help. But no, even she was too smart to do that.

"Lovely, _ah_, _neighborhood_ you've got here. Mummy and Daddy do pretty well to keep their girl sated, don't they?" The Joker smirked, reaching back to unhook her hair from its ponytail. He'd only seen her hair down once, that first rainy day. A few strands slipped inside of his glove and brushed against his inner wrist. Charlotte didn't object of course, but stayed rigidly still as her hair flowed onto her shoulders. She only reached up to hesitantly tuck her long fringe behind an ear.

"I'm sure it's not _hard_. After all, being the new D.A. does have its...ah...benefit_**s**_."

Charlotte couldn't help it, she scoffed quietly. "Tell that to Harvey Dent."

The Joker's eyes widened before that infamously disturbing laughter came out of his mouth. "O_ho_. _Aha_. _AHEEHEE AHA HA **HA HA**_! Oh Doll, you're always so clever! I _like_ that about you."

He wouldn't tell her he was responsible for Dent's demise. How could she know anyways? But the Joker had to admit, the surge of pride and cockiness he felt when she mentioned his, ah,_ work_, made his smirk grow painfully wider. The Joker stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed in his typical fashion. Not like Charlotte could tell - the kohl around his eyes never really allowed her to see much. In a way, she kind of wished she could see more of his face. Maybe if she could, she'd be able to predict his emotions instead of being constantly shocked by them. Maybe if she could read his face, she'd have a better chance of getting out of this alive, in the end.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" The Joker demanded, grabbing Charlotte roughly by her forearm. She yelped audibly as he squeezed her arm tightly. Charlotte willed herself to move - and she didn't really have a choice either.

"Wait, please, where are we going?!" Charlotte asked, stumbling to keep up with the Joker's speedy, erratic strides. The Joker fought back a smile, even with the one etched onto his face, as fear deliciously heightened her voice.

"_Ohhh_, just on a little _stroll_, **Char**." The Joker said in a sing song voice, making Charlotte's stomach churn at her childhood nickname. "I'd love to see _just_ how protected this little safe haven r_eally_ is."

Charlotte's brain went into panic mode. That didn't sound good at all. She followed the Joker rather blindly. She couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't do anything really, but follow his steps. As they circled the neighborhood once - the Joker making little comments here and there - Charlotte did nothing but look for cops. There were usually so many around here, where the hell where they?

"Ah, now _here_ seems like a good place to stop!" The Joker announced, bringing the Charlotte to a stop. He let go of her and she winced immediately, wanting to rub the spot where his gloves had chafed against her skin so badly. She decided against it and looked to see where they were. It was then that Charlotte decided that this had to be a dream, that this was all too unfair to be her reality.

They were standing right in front of her house, in the middle of the street. Charlotte could see her dad through the living room window, sitting in his regular armchair, reading. The Joker giggled.

"Well aren't you all just a pair of regular _Jack_ and _Jill**s**_."

Charlotte turned hesitantly to look at the Joker then, and noticed that he didn't immediately stare back. The Joker noticed her staring, he could feel her eyes burning a hole into his face. He couldn't find himself to bother, though. He was far too perplexed by the girl's house. Everything looked so perfect, the pure white house with black shutters, a warm glow of light emitting from all the windows...everything was so _pristine_ - and his immediate reaction was to just pull out a few matches and burn it all into the **_ground_**. It reminded the Joker of something he couldn't remember clearly, and he hated that feeling. The Joker hated nostalgia, it was completely useless. But still, there was something there, hiding way back in the crevices of his mind. Blurry, nonetheless.

The Joker brushed off the feeling easily, rolling his shoulders back before turning to Charlotte. He caught her staring, and she looked away instantly. The Joker chuckled as he watched blood rush underneath her skin, settling in her face, neck, and probably chest. The Joker wasn't here to just stare at her, though. He'd finally figured out what her use would be. He cleared his throat before turning to face her completely. Perhaps she'd thought he was going to attack her, that deer in the headlights look was back.

"Ah, now. Enough with the chit chat, we've got business to discu_ss_," The Joker said, shuffling through his pockets to give her what she'd need. "I've figured out your first task!"

Charlotte's eyes sparked with confusion. "Task? What do you mean _task_ -"

"Quiet, Char. Explanations will come. Now, since you've clearly been doing your best to avoid me during your_ studious little school hours_, I decided that the smartest thing do you is get you where you can'**_t_** run. Because, why would you want to run from home?" The Joker gestured to her family home with a wave of his hand. "Ah ah, I'm not done. I have something for you."

The Joker pulled something out of his pocket swiftly, and Charlotte's immediate reaction was to step back. It was a black rectangular thing that was mostly concealed by his large, purple covered hand. The Joker presented her with his gift calmly, laying his palm flat and open in front of him. He licked his scars in anticipation, watching Charlotte's face contort into surprise.

"Is that...a _phone_?" Charlotte asked, more to herself than the man in front of her. The Joker groaned in irritation. Did she always have to ask questions?

"No actually, it's a bomb. In two minutes this whole neighborhood will be no_th_ing but scraps." He replied sarcastically, dark eyes rolling back briefly. Charlotte was still hesitant to touch his hand, but she tried her best to stop the tiny breath of laughter that burst from her mouth. What, so he just took her phone in order to give her another? How did that even make any sense? The Joker perked up instantly at Charlotte's laugh, he'd never heard her laugh before. It was delicate, just like the rest of her.

**_Hm, interesting._**

He didn't have time for a thorough analyzation of her tonight, he had places _to go_ and people to_ shoo**t**_. When he spoke again there was dangerous edge in his voice.

"Beautiful, I find the fact that you find bomb jokes funny impressive, but time's a tickin'. Look, Girlie, if you don't_ take_ it -"

"Okay, okay!" Charlotte hurried, snatching the phone out of his open hand. The back of the phone had been warmed against his hand. She didn't want it, but it wasn't like she had a choice.

"Always forgetting your manners, Char. You're _welcome_. Now, that's for my calls and my calls _on**ly**_. And don't even think about throwing it away." The Joker warned, quickly relishing in Charlotte's fearful glance at him. "I'll know. Keep it on you, always. If you don't..." The Joker didn't finish, he let the threatening silence speak for itself. In fact, he didn't say another word as he turned his back on Char, leaving her in the darkness.

"Wait! I don't understand! What about my task!?" Charlotte called after him, thoroughly baffled. The Joker smirked to himself as he disappeared farther into the darkness of the street. He didn't bother to turn around, he knew that Char would still be standing in front of her house, just as baffled as ever.

_'Good things come to those who wait, Doll.'_ He thought to himself.

/

Charlotte tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep comfortably knowing that her new gift was laying right beside her. She hated not knowing what to do. Charlotte reach blindly for the phone she'd placed by her pillow. Charlotte sighed as she held it. The phone looked as inconspicuous as ever, a regular black smartphone. Maybe if she was lucky, it would blow up when activated. She clicked the on button and searched around, the only light in the room coming from the small screen. There were no files on, only an empty list of settings. Charlotte shuddered, wondering who's phone this had been... they were probably dead now. Charlotte pushed that thought aside as best as she could, before going into the contacts. She stared at it blankly. What a surprise, there was only one.

**_Mister J._**

* * *

**_Things are starting to come together! Just wanted to take a moment and say a big thank you to those who have been alerting/reviewing/favorite-ing the story, it really makes me smile. If any of you ever have any questions or opinions on the story, I'm always here to listen! Things are only getting darker from here out. This isn't your typical OC Mary Sue story, I can promise that. Also, if anyone is confused about the quotes at the beginning of the story, they're not really there for a title purposes, it's more to enhance the chapter I guess ( I hope you guys know what I mean lol). As for the title of this chapter, I chose the name Principium because it means beginning in Latin, and this is where the story really begins. As the Joker would say: "And...Here...We...Go!"_**


	6. Chaos

_**Disclaimer: **_**_I own nothing but my OC. The Joker, John Blake, and Batman belong to DC Comics._**

_Chapter Six._

* * *

_"Now there's a Batman."_

**May 31st.**

"Unbelievable!" Charlotte snapped, throwing the simple black phone. It hit the wall harshly before clattering onto the wooden floor. Charlotte stared blankly at the thing that had given her the horrible message. She'd been waiting for the Joker to unleash his crazy, secretive scheme on her, and now that he'd finally done it she didn't know what do herself. What else could Charlotte do but obey his command to meet him? He'd spoken clearly in the message, but Charlotte could hear the slight chaos happening in the background. She could hear his men moving and the grumbles of trucks, which couldn't be good. Charlotte replayed the Joker's commanding voice in her head.

_13672 District Avenue, Doll. I'll find you at dusk._

/

Charlotte arrived just before sunset. She didn't want to be late, and luckily, she'd reached the avenue seconds before the Joker located her.

"Ah, so happy you made it! I'm _thrilled_, Beautiful." He smirked, studying her as he always did. For once she wasn't wearing a school or workout outfit. She seemed to be in normal clothing, a white sweater with dark jeans and boots. The Joker chuckled to himself at her outfit choice. He hoped she wouldn't mind a dirty and possibly bloody sweater. Things around him never did stay pure for long.

"I got your...er...message." Charlotte tried her best not to grimace as she looked at the weirdly abandoned street. She'd been here before, it was normally quite busy. Of course, with the Joker on the streets, people would be foolish to stay outside past sundown. Or come outside at all, really. Still, things took their normal course, the public went about their daily business, and the Joker caused chaos where he pleased. In Gotham, it somehow seemed to make sense. Charlotte glanced around her to see various black SUV's being loaded with tons of heavy boxes. The Joker's henchmen had their masks on. Written clearly on many of the boxes in red print was one word.

**_Explosives._**

What had she been dragged into?

Charlotte's eyes widened almost comically. "Is this...is this a_ mission_?" She asked the clown in horror. The Joker shrugged at her before smiling and walking away. Charlotte followed him like a puppy at his ankles.

"I, ah, guess you could call it that!" Joker chuckled lowly, catching two shotguns that were tossed to him.

"_That's_ for_ you_," He tossed Charlotte a gun so fast she flinched. She caught it clumsily, making the Joker smirk. Good thing he'd already placed the safety. He didn't need the girl getting hurt just _yet_. He'd barely even gotten a chance to play with his new toy, test her ou**_t_**. The kid didn't know a damn thing about guns. This would be more amusing than he'd thought. "Careful, it's loaded!" The Joker giggled, walking ahead towards the largest vehicle parked at the end of the avenue. He'd picked up a lovely cargo truck for the occasion. Charlotte stared up at the long, heavy truck. It had obviously belonged to a carnival not too long ago. Charlotte stared up in horror and disbelief at the new spin the Joker had added to his new property. A large red '**S**' stood out prominently next to the truck's original logo.

**_Slaughter is the Best Medicine!_**

Charlotte froze as the Joker opened the passenger door of the enormous vehicle, gesturing for her to get in. Fear and anxiety crawled up Charlotte's spine. She couldn't do this! She couldn't..._kill_...people! But what choice did she have?

"I...I - "

"Ah ah, let's not waste anymore time, shall we? Now get in the truck before I decide to _stop_ being a gentleman," The Joker warned her, ropey red smile disappearing as much as it could. Charlotte didn't move from her spot. She watched the clown faced goons pile up into the cargo area of the truck.

"But...but you want me to kill people! I...I _can't_ -"

"There's, uh, no such thing as_ can'**t**_, Doll. Besides, the chances of your aim killing_ anyone_ is**_ laughable_**...you're just holding the backup...Now. Get. In." The Joker growled, lending her a hand. Charlotte took it and lifted herself up into the truck. She ignored the way the Joker's knuckles brushed against hers, and the way his palm nearly squeezed the life out of hers. It was like putting her hand on a pile of hot coal. The fact that she wouldn't actually have to kill anyone helped her breathe again...slightly. Now she just hoped that the psychopath wasn't staring at her bum. The Joker hopped in shortly after. The front seat was quite cramped, especially with the large, sweaty driver sitting beside her. He was only one out of the henchmen not wearing a mask. He made no eye contact as he started up the the truck. It rumbled to life before rolling down the street and turning out of the avenue. Charlotte was trembling, and she didn't know whether it was from the vibrations of the truck or the innate feeling of danger surrounding her. Most likely, it was both. The truck took plenty of wide, sharp turns. The Joker was already brushing against her side, and the turns caused her to nearly fall into his lap several times.

"Not now, Doll. We have company." The Joker grinned in his sing song voice, sticking his head out of the window as police sirens blared in the distance. "And...Here. We._ Go_." He growled readily, cocking the AK-47 in his tight grip. Charlotte heard the shift of the bullets and cringed, trying her best not to start sobbing. She gripped her own gun fiercely, wishing she knew how to use it. Perhaps if she did, she would've been able to shoot the clown. But how far would that get her? Charlotte didn't know what street they were on, but cars were beginning to swerve out of their way, and before she knew it, they were in some sort of tunnel. The orange lights reflected off of the Joker's face, making Charlotte clench her eyes shut. The sounds of sirens were right behind them now. Suddenly, the truck was speeding so fast that it was nearly veering out of control. The Joker cackled gleefully as he saw the sight behind him. Was that the**_ S.W.A.T_ **Team? The first shots fired at the truck clanged uselessly against the metal, sounding like music to his ears. Several seconds later, an explosion blew behind them. The Joker cursed silently, looking back quickly to see one of his black vans engulfed in flames. He'd have to find four new goons tomorrow. Charlotte was now screaming as if she was being murdered, her gun long abandoned on the dashboard.

"Are you as excited as I am, Doll?!" The Joker yelled gleefully, grabbing her abandoned gun and bringing it to his rest on his lap. Several seconds later, Charlotte's head found its place beside it. "Get down," Joker ordered, grabbing the back of her head and shoving her face down into his lap. Even the fabric of his pants couldn't muffle her screaming. Charlotte's forehead collided harshly with the butt of the gun and the world blurred for a moment. They were out of the tunnel now and back onto the busier streets of Gotham. A few bullets cracked the windshield before one finally broke though, lodging itself into the namless driver's head. Charlotte screamed loudly as the scent of blood hit her, the truck beginning to swerve out of control. In a flash, the Joker was crawling over to take the driver's seat.

"Excuse me, I wanna drive!" He exclaimed. He grabbed Charlotte's hand and pressed her fingers against the wheel to steady the truck again. Charlotte stared in shock as he hurriedly opened his door and pushed the dead man out of the moving truck. The thud that followed ensured that his body had landed on one of the following police cars. He turned back to her calmly after shutting the door, as if he didn't hear the plethora of police following them. Charlotte let go of the wheel as soon as she got the chance. The Joker gripped the wheel tightly, giggling quietly to himself before turning to her.

"Don't you just _hate_ when people don't carry their_ weight_?" He smiled, humming oddly to himself. "In a few minutes, keep an eye out for a, uh, _Ba**t**_."

With another swift turn, the police sirens faded into the distance. They'd lost them for a little while. They were rumbling through a backroad now, taking some type of shortcut. The Joker slowed the truck down, reaching into his coat to grab a walkie-talkie. As he did so, Charlotte caught a glimpse of several grenades ladled into his inner coat pockets. She looked away instantly. Charlotte took the few slight moments she had to quietly breathe, closing her eyes. The Joker barely noticed - he was in him element.

"Okay, rack 'em up, rack 'em up, _rack 'em up_!" The Joker hushed into the device. Charlotte's eyes opened again swiftly, not understanding what he meant. A strange slashing noise came through the walkie-talkie before the Joker smiled, racing the truck into the street again. Two minutes later, Charlotte understood everything as she watched a GCPD helicopter unit crash to the ground behind them, covering half the street in flames. The Joker's laughs were demonic as he watched his chaos unfold. Charlotte began to wonder when the police would simply give up fighting against the crazed man. He was a force.

"Now_ there's_ a Batman!" The Joker said, gripping the wheel tightly as the truck raced through the street. Charlotte squinted to see what he saw. It was _funny_, she realized, in her moment of insane panic. The Batman had never seemed real to her, what with the overbuild of armor, but as he drove past the truck on the speediest tumbler Charlotte had ever seen, he seemed realer than ever.

"He missed!" The Joker exclaimed, turning to face her. The whole world seemed to tilt around them for a brief second before it all slowed. Charlotte watched the slow realization hit the Joker's face before her hair blocked his slight look of surprise from view. The world was rotating. Charlotte wondered if she was dead as she felt herself spin and rise out of her seat, gravity pressing her stomach against her throat.

She'd definitely died - they both had. Perhaps the large truck had exploded, or a bullet had found a home in her brain.

The finale was a resounding crash, one so loud that it made Charlotte go deaf before coming back ten times louder. The metal of the truck crashed violently against the pavement so hard that the ground cracked. Charlotte felt her neck snap and her skull cave in, she didn't see the Joker. She only saw purple before everything blurred into darkness.

Parts of the truck were still rattling against the pavement when Charlotte regained conciousness. She wished she hadn't. Her back burned against the broken shards of what used to be a windshield. The police sirens were back, not too far away now. Everything in her vision was literally upside down, because she was. A series of weak groans beside her startled her, and her neck strained painfully to find the source. The Joker was splayed against the winshield just as she was, long legs sprawled onto the carseat.

"_Joker_...?"

Charlotte only recieved another groan in response. She couldn't help it, a flicker of worry found her instantly. She reached out with a sore - and surprisingly unbroken- hand to touch the man beside her. He was a a crumpled mess, and his eyes didn't open when her fingertips brushed his dark green hair aside, or when she touch his face accidentally. The police sirens were getting closer and closer, like dogs chasing cars.

"Joker -"

"Get out, now." The Joker stated, suddenly coming to life. His eyes were burning intensely, like little orbs of flames. He began to move painfully, holding in the louder groans of pains. Charlotte couldn't explain to herself why she hadn't left the moment she'd regained conciousness...it was unexplainable. She'd practically been abducted by the man, forced to accompany him on this vicious joyride, watched him dispose of a dead body as if it were an irritating insect...and now? And now, she had her chance to run, and she couldn't _take_ it without making sure he was alive first.

The Joker didn't wait for her to protest, scream for help, or anything of the sort. The police were moments away. "I _said...Go_. Go, Char. Now!" The Joker commanded. He didn't need to tell her a third time. The brief moment of strange compassion Charlotte had felt for the monster in front of her was gone, and she took her exit painfully, stumbling down the street away from the smoking truck. Her head was swaying, but somehow she crashed into a street corner far enough from the chaos. She didn't want to stop, she couldn't stop.

Charlotte fought against herself for a moment before giving up, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. Her breaths halted momentarily, and within seconds, she was gone again.

/

"_Miss?_ Excuse me, Miss?" Charlotte heard a male voice above her. Charlotte's whole body burned - she wondered how she was still alive. And depending on where she was, she would decide if she still wanted to be. Charlotte heard the calm, assertive voice once more. She certainly hoped the Joker wasn't playing a trick on her as she hesitantly opened her eyes. She squinted as a bright light flooded her pupils, temporarily blinding her.

"It's alright, Miss. There's no need to be frightened." The voice assured. Charlotte forced herself to open her eyes despite the sting. She needed to match a face to the lovely voice before she went insane. Standing above her was a young man, probably in his late twenties. As Charlotte's blurry vision cleared, she saw that he was actually quite handsome. He had a dark, shortly cropped hair and a strong jawline. His eyes were naturally narrowed, making him look constantly worried...intense. Charlotte wondered how she'd gotten so lucky to get such a good looking nurse.

"Oh! You're awake, finally. Are you Charlotte Marlone?" He questioned her assertively.

"Yes," Charlotte croaked, wincing at the sharp pain in her throat. The handsome man extended a hand to her, and she rose her's weakly to shake it. Charlotte cringed as she noticed all of the fingers on her hand were bandaged. He shook her hand gently, obviously aware of her fragile state.

"John Blake, Gotham City Police Officer," He formally introduced himself, smiling at her warmly. He obviously felt pity for her...she was so young, and just moved here, too! For her to have gone through the events of the night and make it out alive proved just how strong she was. Charlotte nodded in realization, of course he was a Police Officer. She glanced at his jacket. The GCPD badge emblazoned on the material stood out proudly.

"Where am I?" Charlotte asked Blake dazedly, still disoriented. She didn't recognize the walls, and the harsh fluorescent lighting definitely didn't remind her of home. But the beeping in the background...

"Gotham City General," The young man informed her, reaching beside her head for the clipboard on the desk.

"The hospital?" Charlotte asked stupidly, mainly out of disbelief. John humored her with one of his inquisitive looks before gracing her with a grim smile. Grim smiles reminded her of something...of..._Oh_. Charlotte suddenly felt the need to blush as she thought of what'd she'd just been through with the Joker. John watched her look down to see that she was indeed in a hospital bed. So many parts of her were bruised and damaged.

"Yes. Like I've said, everything's been taken care of. Your parents are currently on their way...they should be here soon. The nurse is going to alert them that you're awake now." Blake assured her. The girl was a mystery, how she'd managed to get herself caught up in the crossfire between Gotham's biggest Villain and Vigilante astounded him. "Charlotte, I'm going to need to ask you a few questions regarding your injuries on file. You've got a cracked rib and several lacerations on your back and sides...do you remember anything from your accident?"

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably underneath the itchy wool blanket that had been thrown over her. She didn't want to look the officer in the eyes, fearful he would know everything the moment eye contact was made. "Well, now that I think about it...not really, sir." She lied through her teeth. Of course she remembered everything, she'd been stupid enought to risk her life for a psychopathic clown. Unwillingly, but still.

Blake chuckled slightly. "There's no need to call me '_sir_' or 'mister' or anything like that. Feel free to call me John."

Charlotte fought another blush. She was in the middle of telling the biggest lie of her life, and she couldn't keep focused because the attractive officer was being cordial with her? Pitiful. Completely out of her character, as well. Perhaps the crash had knocked around a few things in her brain.

"So there's nothing you'd like to report? You were found passed out against a fire hydrant less than a mile away from the critical area. Don't you have any idea how you got there?" John asked her, narrow eyes studying her intensely. Charlotte shifted under his gaze.

"Not that I can remember, no," Charlotte shook her head, eyes scanning the room. It was then that she realized she'd broken the law by lying to a Police Officer. Charlotte scanned her brain briefly over the night's events ...to be honest, she was too surprised that she'd made it out alive. "I was just walking home from a friend's house...and then I woke up here. That's all I remember." Charlotte bit her lip, wanting to slap herself when the officer granted her a look of trust.

"And that's all you remember?" John asked her, barely looking at the clipboard he'd been taking notes on. The girl in front of him looked inexplicably...lost. Charlotte thought of the Joker's rough, gloved hands grabbing her, body shielding her from the majority of the chaos, that look in his eyes when he'd told her to get herself out. Charlotte couldn't explain her need to lie, or her need to even _defend_ the psycho clown... but she did it regardless. She felt sick.

"That's all." Charlotte confirmed, large blue eyes staring straight into John's narrow brown ones. He forced himself not to look away - the girl was unnerving him. She smiled softly, lips barely moving. John had been about to ask her another question when the door burst open.

_"Charlotte!"_ John heard a shrill voice shriek in relief. Charlotte instantly sat up straighter, obviously startled as her parents barged in. Charlotte clenched her eyes shut as her mother hugged her close, the smell of her perfume engulfing her. While the hug was slightly uncomfortable because of her wounds, the smell did soothe her. Charlotte was entirely aware that her mother had started to bawl, she felt the cool drops seep into her hair.

"Hi Mom, Dad." She smiled, looking up at her dad who had taken his place besides the bed. John nearly turned red, he was honored to be standing beside the new D.A.

"Hello, sweetheart. Is everything alright?" Charlotte's father asked, placing a warm hand his daughter's shoulder. John stepped back to watch the scene. Robert Marlone was a pretty intimidating guy when it came down to it, but when it came to his daughter he became inexplicably gentle. Like he was dealing with glass. Despite his attempt to stop it, a warm smile graced his face. He wished his parents had treated him like that...but they were...

John didn't like thinking about childhood.

"Everything's _fine_. Just a little banged up," Charlotte said, ignoring her mind as it replayed vans exploding. Her mother had finally stopped crying and insisted that she go get Charlotte a cup of tea. She was gone instantly. Charlotte made eye contact with John again, and for some reason, she blushed. Her father chuckled, extending a hand to the young man.

"Have you been taking care of my daughter, son? I didn't know officers were doubling up as nurses these days," her father joked, making Charlotte cringe at his cheesy joke. "Robert Marlone, Gotham's new head of District Attorneys, nice to meet you!"

John only grinned, eagerly shaking the mans hand. Of course he knew who he was! "John Blake, GPD Officer. Pleased to meet you, sir. It's an honor."

Introductions were cut short as Charlotte's mother came back with a flaming hot cup of tea and a nurse, who promptly announced she was free to check out.

/

Charlotte's exit from the hospital was fairly quick - her mother hated hospitals. However, she did catch John Blake on the way out of the hospital. She'd been about to get into the car when she saw him getting into his own.

"Wait!" Charlotte said abruptly, telling her parents to wait a moment. They entered the car as she ran towards Blake's. "Excuse me, Officer Blake?" Charlotte exclaimed, trying to slow her breath down. She was sure the wind was whipping her hair into a frenzy, but she'd had to thank the man. If it wasn't for him, God only knows what could've happened to her. John had been just about to start up the police car when she appeared at the passenger window.

"Yes, Miss Marlone?" He asked her, wondering if he'd missed something important. John watched as Charlotte fiddled with the bandage on her left knuckle for a moment. She seemed oddly nervous...what was with this girl?

"I just wanted to say thank you...I don't know where I'd be now if you hadn't found me passed out against that fire hydrant...or if someone had found me before you. Anyways, I'm rambling...but thanks." Charlotte smiled shyly. Internally, she wanted to punch herself. She had never been the type to get butterflies or act differently in front of boys...or men in this case. She just really appreciated his actions.

John Blake smiled humbly, having the strange urge to laugh at the girl's shy behavior. She was oddly cute. "It was my pleasure, Miss Marlone. Get home safe, alright?"

Charlotte fought the urge to beam. Of course he would be concerned, he was a Police Officer. "I will. Goodnight, John. Thank you, again." She said, his name felt strange to her. Blake nodded to her before starting up the car.

"Goodnight, Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled and waved at him once more before going back into her car. She braced herself for the tedious ride home, where she would be thoroughly interrogated by her parents, leaving her with no choice but to lie again.

/

John Blake sat in the warmth of his car, patrolling one street in particular. He'd driven by it countless times, and around the seventh time he'd decided it would be best to park discreetly behind a few dark cars. The Narrows was a dangerous place, but curiosity had gotten the best of him.

"Curiosity killed the cat," John grumbled, finishing the last dregs of his subpar coffee. He glanced at the clock again.

_2:53 AM_

If nothing emerged in twenty or so minutes, he would leave. That was what he'd promised himself twenty minutes ago. John tilted his head back against the seat -not sleeping of course- he only closed his eyes briefly. He thought of Charlotte, only a senior in high school with such a knack for trouble. John picked at his cuticles - a horrible habit.

She'd been hiding something, he just knew it. Those blue eyes didn't just spark up for anyone.

* * *

**And another chapter is done! I hope you all enjoyed it! For the chase scene, The Dark Knight was clearly my inspiration, so I hope you all enjoyed that little throwback! Please review and give me your thoughts, I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter - it was one of my favorites to write! I know I keep saying this, but reviews really are what keep my inspiration for this story going! I want to share my story with everyone, and have you all enjoy it, so if I'm doing that please let me know, as well as what you'd like to see in the story! Also, John Blake is going to have a large role in the dynamic of the story, so you guys will be seeing him around! What do you all think of him being incorporated into the story? Any thoughts on his purpose? All of your speculations are welcome! Also, for those following the story, I see you all and I just want to say thank you! **

**Just in case any of my GHTS readers are speculating, NO I have NOT abandoned 'Getting Him To Smile'! I would never do that to you guys. I'll be updating soon, so be on the lookout for that! Dramione is forever! **

**As for this story, I hope you're all enjoying it. This isn't going to be a love story. Well, not a conventional one, anyways. I want to stay as close to the actual TDK Joker as possible, but like any author, I'll be adding my own little twists here and there. Just don't expect him and Charlotte to get married or anything, lol. Speaking of Charlotte, what do you guys think of her? Later, guys!**


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